


Across the Map

by kihyukie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Humor, M/M, Mark Lee is whipped, No Plot/Plotless, Piercings, this is literally pointless its just markhyuck being domestic as shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 01:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18436400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kihyukie/pseuds/kihyukie
Summary: “What time is it?” Mark asked, voice thick with sleep.“Uh,” Donghyuck reached over to the side table to turn on his phone, “2:17 am.”That got Mark to open his eyes if only to send a glare at the younger. “Lee Donghyuck, you are the love of my life, but what the fuck?”





	Across the Map

**Author's Note:**

> this is super short and has next to no plot but it's been sitting in my drafts for awhile so i thought i would just post it! i cannot emphasize how pointless and self indulgent this is lmao anyways enjoy

Donghyuck’s hand was warm in Mark’s as he lead the other along the beach. At least Mark was fairly sure it was Donghyuck. He couldn’t quite see the boys face, but he knew Donghyuck’s presence better than anyone else. 

The water was bright blue with white tips where the waves tumbled onto the sand. Shells crushed underneath their bare feet and Mark nearly missed stepping over a clump of seaweed that had been pushed ashore. Gulls flew overhead, squawking out stories Mark halfway wished he could understand. 

“Gulls are like, your long lost cousin I’m pretty sure,” Renjun had commented once years ago and it had continued to haunt Mark ever since. It had been a running joke for the longest time within their friend group, but he was pretty sure it was forgotten by now because nobody had brought it up in years. For that Mark was grateful, but he had never forgotten. 

Then suddenly Donghyuck was gone, Mark’s hand sitting at his side like the other boy hadn’t been there at all. It was then that the gulls started diving down at Mark, pulling up just before hitting him. Only now, they were calling out Mark’s name and he could understand them perfectly. 

Why did they sound like Donghyuck?

With a start, Mark woke up and shot forward narrowly bashing his head into Donghyuck’s from where the other boy was perched on his stomach. 

“Fucking finally,” Donghyuck chirped, “I thought you died or something.”

Scrunching his eyes closed, Mark let his head hit the pillow again and took a couple deep breaths to try and slow down the erratic beat of his heart. More out of habit that anything, Mark’s hands found their way to Donghyuck’s hips, thumbs rubbing over the bare skin. It was cool to the touch. Mark wondered how long Donghyuck had been trying to wake him for. 

“What time is it?” Mark asked, voice thick with sleep. 

“Uh,” Donghyuck reached over to the side table to turn on his phone, “2:17 am.”

That got Mark to open his eyes if only to send a glare at the younger. “Lee Donghyuck, you are the love of my life, but what the fuck?”

“It snowed,” Donghyuck announced with a grin that Mark loved oh so much and his boyfriend was lucky he was so cute because Mark had only fallen asleep an hour ago and now he was moments away from murder. 

Mark’s brain cell wasn’t awake enough to dignify that with a response so instead he opted for staring blankly at Donghyuck waiting for any form of an explanation. 

Luckly, after dating the other for the last four years, Donghyuck seemed to know what Mark was asking. “I want to make snow angels.”    

“You woke me up at two in the morning because you want to make snow angels?” Donghyuck was some form of siren Mark was absolutely sure of it by this point. There was no other way to explain why Mark was considering leaving his warm bed at fuck o’clock in the morning to venture into the freezing cold and lay in the snow for his own enjoyment. “Why can’t we just do it in the morning?”                               

“We have to keep some form of spontaneity in our relationship.” The grin reminded on Donghyuck’s face and Mark couldn’t help but be a bit more than charmed, some things never changed he figured. 

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what that means.”

“Mark Lee are you proposing that after four years we finally expand our sex life to something other than missionary with the lights off?”

“You’re impossible,” Mark barked out, moving his hands up to squeeze Donghyuck’s sides where he knew the younger was ticklish and relished in the shriek the boy let out after being caught off guard. “You have to get off me if you want to go make snow angels.”

“Really?” Donghyuck stopped squirming in Mark’s grip as if he couldn’t believe his own ears. 

Mark huffed, his sleep muddled brain giving in easily after seeing his boyfriend light up over such a small thing. Lee Donghyuck was dangerous and even after years Mark still was still as weak for him as ever. “If I get sick you’re nursing me back to health.”

Donghyuck hummed in affirmation as he jumped off Mark and went flying out their bedroom in record time. 

“And put a shirt on for Christ’s sake. I’m not going to sit in the emergency room with you for six hours just because you lost your nipples to frostbite.”

 

 

“But babe, you would look  _ so _ hot,” Donghyuck whined, drawing out the pet name and flashing Mark his award winning smile, the same one that Mark liked to say outshone the sun.

“We get it, you have a hot boyfriend, you don’t have to rub it in,” Jaemin complained from where he was laying half on the table across from Mark and Donghyuck in the booth, empty food wrappers in front of him. 

Donghyuck shrugged, “Not my fault you’re suddenly too much of a panicked gay to do anything about Jeno.”

“Maybe it’s the fact that he publicly embarrassed himself by spilling coffee all over Jeno and then running away without even saying sorry,” Renjun piped up, taking another bite of his greasy burger as if he hadn’t just embarrassed Jaemin all over again by bringing up the memory. 

“Harsh Injunnie. You know how smiles are my weakness, did you even  _ see _ his?” 

Renjun snorted, knowing all too well Jaemin’s weakness after having been the object of his affection when they first met until Renjun finally put a stop to it after Yukhei asked him out. It had taken Jaemin almost a year to get over the crush claiming he would have made a move sooner if he had known there was competition. Renjun launched a fry at Jaemin who, to everyone's amazement, managed to catch it in his mouth. He grinned back at Renjun as he licked the salt off his lips.

“Now back to my boyfriend,” Donghyuck announced turning in the booth so the full force of his puppy dog eyes were aimed at Mark.  

“I don’t know, Hyuck...” 

“Remember the time he passed out because I accidently tripped and cut my knee?” Mark winced at the memory and wondered how Renjun had such a good memory; it was like it was his job to embarrass his friends. It wasn’t Mark’s fault god decided to nerf him with a very high intolerance to blood. “What makes you think he can handle this?”

“If it’s pierced right it won’t even bleed.”

“Really?” Mark hadn’t known this fact, or else he might have already had a couple piercings of his own. He had to admit it was something that had crossed his mind more than once, but the fact that there might be blood always turned him away.

Donghyuck nodded. 

Mark sat for a couple minutes debating if this was something he really wanted and found that with his fears aside, he actually wouldn’t be opposed to it. Especially if it was something Donghyuck would also find attractive. That being decided, Mark wasn’t going down without someone else, “I’ll get something if Jaemin does.”

“Deal.” Oh no. Mark was not expecting him to agree that fast. He should have known better, maybe Renjun would have been a better bet. “What? I’ve always wanted my belly button done. Do you think Jeno would like it?”

“If you want Jeno to like it, you might as well pierce your di-” Jaemin reached across the booth shoving the last of his french fries into Donghyuck’s mouth effectively silencing him and saving him from any further embarrassment, his ears and face a bright red. 

An hour later Mark found himself laying down on the piercing table, a small dot marked on his nose that he had spent a good fifteen minutes debating the placement of, ultimately deciding on the right side. Donghyuck was to his side, his ear burning red from where he had gotten a piercing himself only minutes earlier, their hands linked together because Mark had to admit he was nervous and needed any support he could get. 

Jaemin had been brave enough to go first, dragging Renjun into the room with him for moral support. They were both now waiting for the couple in the waiting room doing god knows what to keep themselves entertained. 

“Does it hurt?” Mark asked Donghyuck quietly while the piercer turned away to get the supplies ready. 

Donghyuck paused for a moment to think. “A bit, but like only for a couple seconds you big baby. It’ll be over quickly.” He adds and Mark thinks it probably has something to do with the grimace he just made. 

True to Donghyuck’s words, the pain is intense, but over the second the jewelry is fully in. Now his nose is just dully burning and he can feel the piercing everytime he moves his face. That part will take a couple days to get used to the piercer had informed him. 

“How does it look?” Mark turned expectantly back to his boyfriend, noting the smug grin on his face.

“I was right, you look so hot.”

 

 

Mark let the door slam behind him, too tired to take any care with it. He kicked off his shoes before trudging into their apartment, his bag weighing on his shoulder. 

“Bad day?” Donghyuck looked up from his spot on the couch, continuing to type away on this laptop. Mark simply nodded not offering further explanation before going to throw his bag in their room, changing into some comfier clothes. He ended up in a shirt that he was ninety percent sure was Donghyuck’s, but after living together for as long as they had most clothes were just  _ theirs _ . 

With a sigh, Mark threw himself onto the couch, resting his head on Donghyuck’s thighs when the boy moved his laptop off to the side. Without a second thought, Donghyuck began running his hands through Mark’s hair, a gesture as comforting as it was relaxing. 

“Do you want some dinner?” 

It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Donghyuck to cook - Mark still hadn’t quite discovered the skill, the last time he tried to be romantic and cook for Donghyuck he burnt the chicken and left the stove on, almost creating a fire - but Mark appreciated the gesture nonetheless. He nodded against Donghyuck’s leg, still too drained to talk, but thankfully his Donghyuck had always known how to deal with his moods, filling in the silence when Mark didn’t want to talk. 

“Can you let me up, baby?” Donghyuck asked, leaning over to press a quick kiss to the top of Mark’s head and then his cheek. 

Grumbling, Mark lifted himself into a sitting position, immediately hugging one of the pillows close to him. He smiled to himself at the sounds Donghyuck was making in the kitchen. There was the noise of pots clanging together and if he listened close enough he could hear Donghyuck singing softly to whatever song was stuck in his head, his voice like honey to Mark’s ears. It was moments like these that left Mark feeling extremely loved. 

Bored almost immediately, Mark reached for the remote, surfing through the channels before deciding on a rerun of  _ Jeopardy _ that he wouldn’t have to think too much about to watch. It seemed like no time passed before Donghyuck was back, a steaming hot plate of food in hand. Setting the food down on their coffee table, Donghyuck sat back down in his usual spot, patting his side until Mark curled into it loving the warmth of his boyfriend. 

“I love you,” Donghyuck said honestly, a soft grin on his face as he pulled Mark a bit closer, careful not to spill his plate of food. 

Mark’s heart fluttered at the words; they were something he would never get tired of hearing. In the early days of their relationship Mark had a habit of constantly questioning what he did in order to be so lucky to deserve Donghyuck’s full love and attention. Only after many talks did he finally stop doubting his luck and happily accepted all the love given his way, trying his best to make sure Donghyuck could tell it was equally reciprocated. 

It was days like this where part of Mark still wondered what he had done in his past life in order to have such a wonderful and caring boyfriend. “I love you too. Thanks for making dinner.” 

“Of course, love. I wasn’t about to let you burn down the kitchen in your rage.”  
“Hey, I wasn’t even angry! Just drained,” Mark answered in defence, finishing the last of his food before leaning forward to put the plate back on the table. He grabbed Donghyuck’s hand once he was settled back in, linking their fingers and bringing it up to kiss his knuckles softly. 

Donghyuck hummed and Mark could tell he was beaming without even having to look. “We can go to sleep a bit earlier tonight then if you want.”

Mark nodded, closing his eyes already. He was more than content to spend the rest of the evening in Donghyuck’s arm, forgetting about his stressful day. “Sounds perfect.”

 

 

One habit that Mark loved perhaps the most was their evening walks. As long as the weather was good, Mark and Donghyuck would take a couple hours following work and dinner to walk around some of the parks they lived near, switching it up every couple days. It was always refreshing to be out in the fresh air, talk about the most mundane things. Mark always looked forward to spending time with the younger. 

They had started one year during finals when Donghyuck was stressed out of his mind and couldn’t sit still for more than an hour at a time. Mark had suggested it first, just to do a lap around the courtyard of the school and now walking had become their thing. 

It was during one of their walks during their final year in university that Donghyuck had asked Mark out to dinner and three weeks later after school ended they moved into their first apartment together. 

“Do you remember our first date?” Donghyuck asked, swinging their hands between them. This park in particular was one of Mark’s favorites. The paths were lined with lots of greenery and in the summer the ground was covered in flowers. It somehow felt like they were in the middle of a forest without having to leave the city. 

“You mean when we arrived like ten minutes late to the movie we wanted to see and then proceeded to make out for the last half anyways?”

“Yup,” Donghyuck said with an emphasis on the p. “That’s the one.”

Mark smiled fondly at the memory, he didn’t think he would ever forget. Thankfully, the theatre had been pretty empty so nobody even seemed to care neither of them were watching the movie being too busy with each other. “What about it?”

“You were wearing the same shirt.” Donghyuck pulled at the sleeve of the very faded band tee and Mark caught a smile on his face. Even though Mark didn’t remember, the chances were that Donghyuck was right; it was one of Mark’s favorite shirts after all. 

“You were wearing that pastel sweater. I nearly died, you were so fucking cute.”

“I still am.”

Mark barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I know.”

They fell into a comfortable silence again. The sound of leaves being crushed under foot and faint traffic were all white noise to Mark and when he turned to look at Donghyuck it was like all the air had been punched out of his lungs.  

Donghyuck looked absolutely ethereal in the light of the setting sun. Mark knew he would never grow tired of his beauty. Both his hair and skin looked golden in the light, the only thing missing was the halo above his head. Hands down, Donghyuck was the most beautiful person inside and out Mark had ever met and he made it his daily job to make sure his boyfriend knew just that. 

A sudden wave of love and adoration for the other washed over Mark stopping him in his tracks. “I think I want to marry you one day, Lee Donghyuck.”

That got Donghyuck to stop too, turning around to face Mark with a grin from ear to ear, nothing but pure love in his eyes as he moved until his chest was pressed against Mark’s. “Why wait, baby?”

“I-I want to get it right. You’re more than worth it to me,” Mark muttered, suddenly shy from his confession and all the attention his boyfriend was giving him.

Donghyuck squeezed his hand, pressing a quick peck to Mark’s lips. “Ok, well, when you figure it out let me know. You already know what my answer is going to be.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> i had lots of fun writing this like i said it was totally self indulgent but i hope it was worth it! let me know what you thought! 
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/KIHYUKlE) | [cc](https://curiouscat.me/kihyukie)


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